Pearls of Wisdom For Kingdom Living By Pastor George Belobaba

Pictures Of Hell, Pt. 1

The word “lostness” came into my spirit as I was meditating about the sinner and the eternal hell they are facing. I sensed urgency in my spirit to share this with Christians and with those who are lost and are headed for eternal destruction. We are going to take just a little glimpse in what the Bible calls “hell.” Revelation 20:15 reads, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (KJV). The doctrine of hell is one of the most neglected truths of present-day teachings. People hate the idea of being held accountable to a holy God. Those who are “politically correct” steer clear of strong truths. They will not address the issue of hell and eternal death. With that in mind, it is time to talk about hell. You dare not ignore hell. Hell is no joke. It is not “party time” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; 2 Peter 2:4-9). Some folks think of hell as a belief that came out of the medieval age and that it is only a myth. Hell is not medieval. Hell is not a tool of religious priests who crafted words to frighten people into giving more money to the church. Hell is Christ’s judgment on sin. The word “hell” in the New Testament refers to the future punishment of those who are lost. It is a place of judgment for the wicked. The word “hell” means “the place of everlasting punishment, the abode of lost souls”… everlasting separation from God. There are over 162 references in the New Testament that warn us of hell. Jesus uttered 70 of these references and describes it as an unquenchable fire, outer darkness, furnace of fire, fire and brimstone, smoke of (people’s) torment, the lake of fire, a place where the worm does not die, the fire that shall not be quenched, and damnation.

Luke 16:22-28… Jesus gives a frightening picture of life in hell. Verse 23 reads, “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments” (KJV). In this verse, we see that hell involves emotional anguish. Hell involves physical anguish. Hell involves punishment. Hell involves banishment and separation. Hell involves spiritual anguish. Hell involves rejection of Jesus. Hell involves gnashing of teeth. Hell involves fire and flames so intense, and pain so unbearable, that its inhabitants scream in terror. There is no fellowship in hell. There are no fun and games, as some comedians have joked about. In hell, the inhabitant is conscious that God is not there to help him. In hell, there is utter confusion, chaos, and hopelessness. The morning never comes and the light never comes on. Hell involves darkness. It is a bottomless pit, and you never die. Psalm 9:17 reads, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all nations that forget God.” When people “forget God,” they will see hell… they will smell hell… they will breathe hell… they will hear hell… they will feel hell… they will weep (Matthew 8:12)… they will wail and gnash their teeth (Matthew 13:42). Hell is forever. It is a place of fire (Luke 16:24, Matthew 13:42, Matthew 25:41, Revelation 20:15).

In Matthew 12:40, Jesus says, “For as Jonas [Jonah] was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (KJV).Ephesians 4:9…“Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?” When Jesus died, His soul went to hell but was not left there (Acts 2:31).

Dr. Maurice Rawlings, a cardiologist, wrote a book describing the last moments of dying patients. Many died screaming, terrified, and said that they were going down into the flames of hell. Numbers 16:32-34 gives an account of people falling into hell alive. “And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation. And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also” (KJV).